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Religious Syncretism is a capsulated term, in which it has been observed blending traits of cultural beliefs and practices. The Hussain Dighi (pond) is located at Daspara Gram Pancayat under Uttar Dinajpur District of West Bengal, India. It has perceived by the locals that Huissain Dighi is considered as sacred. The Dighi is covered by the villages and faith by Islam. Since time immemorial, the oral history claimed that the villagers have converted into Nasya Sekh Muslims from Hindu Rajbansis by the hand of sacred man called Hussain. As it is view of the local people, they are decedents of tenth generation of Nasya Sekh Muslims. There are number of rituals and practices have been found in their activities centering on the sacred Dighi and have very much linked with local Rjbansi culture by and large. As a result it is undoubtedly says that Hussan Dighi has measured as productive center of religious syncretism, in which it is the main backbone the paper and has consulted with secondary as well as primary data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient satisfaction can be explored which may draw attention of the health care providers, administrators, and health policy makers, in order to monitor the performance, determine patients' needs, plan the development of services, and provide evidence to support the applications for financial support and expenditure. Aims and Objectives: To assess the level of satisfaction of patients regarding the different aspects of health care in an Urban Health Care Centre of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Darjeeling, West Bengal and to identify the reasons of dissatisfaction among patients in that urban health care center. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey on 102 patients with a Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 was done. Systematic random sampling was adopted to draw samples. Results: Overall satisfaction was 73.1% with a mean value of 3.655. Highest satisfaction was in general satisfaction, and the lowest was in time spent with doctors Conclusion: Mean score and percentage of the patient satisfaction was high in that Urban Health Centre. Only matter of concern was time spent with the doctor. Doctor's time, lack of facility and poor quality of services were the major reasons for dissatisfaction among a few dissatisfied patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome is one of the emerging health problems of the world. Its prevalence is high in urban areas. Though pathogenesis is complex, but the interaction of obesity, sedentary lifestyle, dietary, and genetic factors are known as contributing factors. Community-based studies were very few to find out the prevalence or predictors of the syndrome. Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence and epidemiological predictors of metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods: A total of 690 study subjects were chosen by 30 clusters random sampling method from 43 wards of Durgapur city. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 20 software and binary logistic regression was done to find out statistical significance of the predictors. Results: Among 32.75% of the study population was diagnosed as metabolic syndrome according to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III definition with a modification for Asia Pacific cut-off of waist circumference. Odds were more among females (2.43), upper social class (14.89), sedentary lifestyle (17.00), and positive family history. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was high in urban areas of Durgapur. Increased age, female gender, higher social status, sedentary lifestyle, positive family history, and higher education were the statistically significant predictors of metabolic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic contamination in groundwater is becoming more and more a worldwide problem. Nearing 50 million of people are at health risk from arsenic contamination at Ganga-Meghna-Bramhaputra basin. The experimental results of the five blocks under Malda district of West Bengal, India, showed that the arsenic concentration in groundwater (0.41-1.01 mg/l) was higher than the permissible limit for drinking water (0.01 mg/l) (WHO) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) permissible limit for irrigation water (0.10 mg/l). The soil arsenic level (13.12 mg/kg) crossed the global average (10.0 mg/kg), but within the maximum acceptable limit for agricultural soil (20.0 mg/kg) recommended by the European Union. The total arsenic concentration on food crops varied from 0.000 to 1.464 mg/kg of dry weight. The highest mean arsenic concentration was found in potato (0.456 mg/kg), followed by rice grain (0.429 mg/kg). The total mean arsenic content (milligrams per kg dry weight) in cereals ranged from 0.121 to 0.429 mg/kg, in pulses and oilseeds ranged from 0.076 to 0.168 mg/kg, in tuber crops ranged from 0.243 to 0.456 mg/kg, in spices ranged from 0.031 to 0.175 mg/kg, in fruits ranged from 0.021 to 0.145 mg/kg and in vegetables ranged from 0.032 to 0.411 mg/kg, respectively. Hence, arsenic accumulation in cereals, pulses, oilseed, vegetables, spices, cole crop and fruits crop might not be safe in future without any sustainable mitigation strategies to avert the potential arsenic toxicity on the human health in the contaminated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the pesticides evaluated against the jute pests under field conditions, endosulfan 35 EC at 350 g a.i./ha was found to be the most effective insecticide for controlling semilooper, Bihar hairy caterpillar and myllocerus weevil. Endosulfan and fenpropathrin provided good control of yellow mite as well. Even, endosulfan-treated plots gave maximum fibre and stick yield with greater benefit–cost ratio (BCR) over others. Next to endosulfan and chlorpyriphos, neemazal (azadirachtin 50,000 ppm) are useful and safer options against semilooper, Bihar having caterpillar, myllocerus and yellow mite. Methoxyfenocide 10 EC at 200g a.i./ha provided good control (70.60%) of S. obliqua even after 14 days of spraying, but it was not effective against other pests of jute. Further, almost similar efficacy of neemazal and chlorpyriphos was found against the pest complex of jute and based on BCR, neemazal could be an alternative choice over chlorpyriphos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted with a view to understand the effect of plant characteristics on the incidence of pests on most popular jute varieties, viz. JRO-524, JRO-632, JRO-878, JRO-7835 of olitorius jute and JRC-212, JRC-321, JRC-4444, JRC-7447 of capsularis jute. Correlation studies of plant characteristics with pest incidence in jute (Corchorus spp.) revealed that the basal girth of plant exhibited a positive significant relationship with the incidence of Apion corchori Marshall but not with other pests such as jute semilooper (Anomis sabulifera Guen.), Bihar hairy caterpillar (Spilarctia obliqua Wlk.), grey weevil (Myllocerus discolor Bohemus) and yellow mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks). However, plant height showed positive correlation with the incidence of all the major pests of jute. Leaf characteristics (number of leaves/plant, leaf area, leaf thickness, moisture and chlorophyll content of leaves of all the varieties recorded at three different growth stages, i.e. at 50, 80 and 110 days after sowing), number of leaves/plant had positive and significant relationship with the incidence of all the pests except stem weevil. However, leaf area and moisture content of leaves showed significant positive relationship with the incidence of yellow mite. Leaf moisture also showed a positive role on the infestation of grey weevil. Leaf thickness and chlorophyll content of leaves and stem, fibre thickness and moisture content of stem did show any significant effect on pest's incidence. Upon comparing the plant characteristics between the two jute species, olitorius varieties had greater fibre thickness than that of capsularis varieties but fibre thickness had no significant impact on incidence of pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiment on jute crop was conducted during pre-kharif to kharif seasons (April to August) at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), West Bengal, India in a view to record the pest incidence on olitorius jute and to determine the weather parameters impacting on pest population in jute under West Bengal conditions. Seventeen different species of pests belonging to insects, mites and nematodes were found feeding on jute. Among them, jute semilooper (Anomis sabulifera Guen.), Bihar hairy caterpillar (Spilarctia obliqua Wlk.), grey weevil (Myllocerus discolor Bohemus), yellow mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks), stem weevil (Apion corchori Marshall), and root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita are causing economic damage to the crop and other pests were considered as minor pests. Correlation studies with weather parameters showed that incidence of semilooper was negatively correlated (r = −0.795 to −0.725) with the maximum temperature but had positive significant association with minimum temperature (r = 0.528–0.715), morning relative humidity (RH) (r = 0.579–0.857) and afternoon RH (r = 0.876). Bihar hairy caterpillar incidence also exhibited positive significant relationship with morning RH (r = 0.577) and afternoon RH (r = 0.545). Morning and afternoon RH and rainfall also had significant positive correlation with the incidence of M. discolor with r = 0.535, 0.570, and 0.700, respectively. None of the meteorological parameters had any significant influence on the incidence of A. corchori. Yellow mite incidence showed positive association with morning RH (r = 0.563–0.679) and afternoon RH (r = 0.526–0.618). Rainfall was found favourable for proliferation and incidence of M. discolor only but had a negative effect on the incidence of stem weevil and yellow mite. Thus climatic factors particularly temperature, relative humidity and rainfall played a pivotal role on occurrence and existence of different pests on jute crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]